Fantasy Bingo Reading Challenge

 It's no secret that my favorite genre is fantasy - I love all things vampires, fairies, magic, and mythology!  

So, for a fun challenge, I thought I'd create a Fantasy Bingo Reading Challenge for the month of February!  Now, before you get overwhelmed, I want to make sure you know that if you take advantage of the free space you only have to read 4 books!  Also, children's books, middle grade books, and young adult literature counts!  This challenge is more about exploring different types of fantasy lit than about reading a certain amount of pages.  

Please allow me to share with you some of my favorites from these categories - you can find them at your local library or a used bookstore near you, or you can use the links below to Amazon, and I may make a small commission from the affiliate link.  

Vampires

• Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer 
• This is the recently published book which tells the story of Twilight from Edward's point of view.  I found it completely enjoyable and actually better than the original.  I liked his story-telling better, and I definitely liked Bella better from his perspective!  It was a fun read that got me to reread the rest of the series again!
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!

• Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
• This is a great series about a coven of vampires who lives in Manhattan and operates as a part of a secret, elite society.  It's sort of vampires meets Gossip Girl type of story.  
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!

• The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
• This book turns the normal plot of vampire stories on its head - instead of the vampires hiding among a human world, it is humans who have to hide in a world run by vampires.  

Ghosts

• Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
• This book is not your normal ghost story, but it is a MUST READ!  It is the story of a young black boy who is killed by a policeman who mistakes his toy gun for a real gun.  The story begins once he is a ghost - and he meets Emmett Till's ghost who helps him process what happened.  It is a great middle grades book that I would recommend anyone aged 10 and up to read!
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!

• The  Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
• This story is a more traditional ghost story that also connects to the history of the murders of Jack the Ripper - it is a good ghost story for anyone interested in history as well!  
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!
 

Fairies

• Cruel Prince  by Holly Black
• Holly Black is THE YA author for fairy stories - and this series, Folk of the Air, is a great one.  It tells the story of a human who was taken into the fairy world when she was 7 years old, and despite the fact that she is mortal, she longs to be accepted there and finds herself fighting for a place in that world.  
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!
• Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
• This is an older series but is one that I loved.  It follows the story of a girl who has "the sight" - the ability to see fairies.  She has lived her life following certain rules to avoid being noticed by them. However, her rules don't work forever and she becomes the desired possession of the Summer King.  
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas
• This is an AMAZING series that has another book coming out this month (2/16).  It really is more in the "new adult" genre rather than "young adult" because it's a bit more steamy that most ya fantasy would be.  Like many fairy stories, it is about a girl who gets unwillingly pulled into the fairy world.  This one has political intrigue, romance, and many twists and turns - it has a huge cult following as well (just google ACOTAR)  
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!

Fairy Tale Retelling

• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• This is a GREAT retelling of Cinderella - very original - kind of a steampunk/cyber punk story were Cinderella is a cyborg.  Well worth your time reading!  
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!
• Twisted Tales series - such as Part of Your World by Liz Braswell
• If you love Disney fairy tales, this series reimagines the stories if the villain had won - In Part of Your World, you find out may have happened if Ariel had never defeated Ursula.  It's a fun way to revisit your favorite Disney fairy tales!  
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!
• Disney villains series by Serena Valentino (be sure to read them in order starting with Fairest of All)
• Another great series for any Disney fanatic is the Disney Villains series - it is a series that tells the story from the villains' point of view.  This is a must read for anyone who loves the villains!  
• Bonus for the Fantasy Bingo - written by a woman!

Finally, the series that can meet many of the squares of the Fantasy Bingo Reading Challenge - The Mortal Instruments Series, along with the prequel series, The Infernal Devices, and the sequel series, The Dark Artifices - it will keep you reading for a long time!  

From what I can figure, a book from this series meets any of the following categories:

• Fae/Fairies
• Urban fantasy
• Demons
• Vampires
• Fantasy Romance
• Written by a Woman

Plus, it's one of my favorite young adult fantasy series, so it comes highly recommended by me!  

Regardless of what you read, I hope you cross a few boxes off on the bingo chart - and if you do - let me know what you read!!

Below is my bookstack for the challenge - can you guess which categories I am trying to check off?